This is my 2nd season racing with SJBC Race Team. Last year team camp was in Paso Robles. This is the first team I have been on that takes the time to create an event like this. This year we spent 3 days in Solvang, CA for our training camp. The weather down south is usually a bit warmer, and its far enough away for all of us to stay together at the same hotel. Its all about team building, getting some really good training on the bike, education, and good food. The drive was three hours down highway 101. Our first and second day of riding was going to be long and hard, followed by an easier Sunday recovery day. By the time Sunday morning came around we cut the ride even shorter. The Saturday ride up Mt Figueroa was epic and one of the most physically and mentally challenging rides I have ever done. Friday night I had dinner in a private room at Mirabelle in Solvang, and Saturday night we were treated to an evening of education and dinner at the hotel. Oh....I can't forget that each morning Todd Manley and I would wonder over to Paula's Pancake House and eat some awesome breakfast fuel for the days ride. I've been taking
Race Caps Supreme ,
Clear Day and
Premium Insurance Caps from Hammer Nutrition now for 2 weeks. This will be my first feedback opportunity on these products.
I was riding my Specialized Tarmac/Ultegra 6800 Group 53/39 11-25. That gearing made for an awesome workout!
Training Peaks Data
First ride was from Solvang to Jalama Beach. An out and back course with around 5,000 ft of climbing and 73 miles. Of course when you do a large group ride like this you have varying degrees of experience between riders. The ride always starts easy for the first 5 minutes and then its just natural selection. We hit Santa Rosa Road going west to the beach, and started to hit it hard. I knew I should have warmed up before this group ride :) It still takes me 45 minutes to get a good warm up to feel awesome at a race or long ride. Unfortunately right as I started to feel great there was a crash in the lead group. A few riders went to fast into an awkward right turn. I came around the corner and saw two teammates down on the side of the road. I stopped to help put. Around 20 minutes later the sag cars came up on us and two were transported to the hospital. Concussion, broken ribs, and a broken clavicle. We continued the ride until we hit Jalama Beach. Awesome views and the sun was out now. A train passed us going up the coast along the beach. I wish I could have taken a picture of it! There were already a few riders coming back that were in front of the crash. I opted to not take a break and rejoin them for the return route. I didn't want to stop again anyways and I had plenty of fluid with me. The ride back was a suffer fest for me. That's what I came to camp for, and that's what I did. I would try and stay with some stronger riders and then dropped, recover, and wait for more riders to catch me. I played that game the entire ride back to Solvang. Came back to the room and religiously drank my
Hammer Nutrition Chocolate Recoverite! There was a swimming pool that I jumped right into, and took short power nap. I didn't want to miss out on the evening coming up. Solvang Brewery for drinks, and then
Mirabelle restaurant for dinner! I had the beet salad and Alaskan Halibut served over red quinoa. The chef Norbert even came out of the kitchen to say hello to us. Great service and food her. Time to take in some calories and recover for another epic day tomorrow. My hard training days always conclude with stretching, foam roller, and some
Whey Protein Isolate Chocolate right before bed.
Training Peaks Data
The second morning started off at Paula's Pankcake House in Solvang. Yum!!!!! Waffles, eggs, hot sauce, and the
Ted King highly claimed power food maple syrup. Our ride today would take up to the epic route of
Mt Figueroa. Today would be a 73 mile route with 7,800 ft of climbing. The group decided to stay together till the base of the the climb. This would allow for a bit more warm up. The roads out to the climb were surrounded by acres of farmland, and horse ranches. Everything this time of year was bright green. As soon as we hit the base of the climb the group started to split. This is my first time riding any of these roads, so the only thing to do is set a tempo and stick with it. The switchback quickly turned into a dirt road for a mile. The rocks and dirt were tough on the arms. Plus you had to constantly find a good line to follow, which usually meant you were all over the road :) The next obstacles to encounter were streams that crossed the roadway. These weren't ordinary streams because they were lined with algae. Luckily I was warned by those that crossed already to slow down. I stopped and decided to walk my bike across. I witnessed another rider slowly cross and slip around doing a 180. We still have 7 or so miles till me summited. Now the road was getting narrower and multiple size boulder rocks were scattered about the roadway. This climb was turning into one of the most technical climbs I have done. It was still one of the most scenic rides. We had the coastal mountain view on our left side and the Sierra Madre Mountains on our right. We summited and it felt like we had ridden the full course already mentally. Thank you to Paul Morel SJBC Race Team's feed zone one stop shop! He was providing sag today and met us at the top. Ice cold water, ice, and food! I had 2 fresh Hammer Heed bottles waiting for me in the cooler. I took some pictures and then it was time to descend the mountain, and finish the ride. Descending was the same as the climb. Boulders filled the road. Once we reached the bottom of the climb it was a fast tailwind section back to 101 where a group of us rejoined. Foxen Canyon Rd was up next on the ride. There was around 12 of us now back together for the ride. Myself and Chris D ended up getting dropped before the descent off of the canyon. We rode together all the way back to camp. It was nice to have someone to ride with at your same level. I am still in the no man's land it seems between the A riders and B riders. :) It's a work in progress. We missed the turn to one more canyon road before the hotel and ended up in Los Olivos. A beautiful small town near Solvang. Lot's of people were out! Should have stayed for some good coffee which was hard to find down here. I'm used to my Peet's Coffee. Arrived back at the hotel for a quick swim in the pool and a nap. Tonight we were being treated to an education seminar from Curtis Cramblett and Richard Smith. We learned all about cycling efficiency, fitting, nutrition, pedaling, and plenty of Q&A! Taco's were on the menu for dinner! The night ended in Todd Manley and myself walking to the market and getting Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch! Yes we finished them off, and deserved it after conquering Mt Figueroa.
Training Peaks Data
The third and final day was a day for recovery. We still started off at Paula's Pancakes House of course! The plan was for a 50 mile ride out to the coast again, but most did a shorter version. It was the perfect end to a great training camp. I dug myself into a pretty deep hole with those two hard days of riding. I was fatigued, but this will take no time to recover from! The dividends will be applied later this race season.
One of the great things about camp is finding the right roommate. I swear Todd Manley is my lost brother. He is an accomplished masters cat 2 racer, family man, and has been with SJBC for a long time. When getting dressed for the first night at dinner we each pulled out the same shirt to wear! That made for a good laugh, until Todd told me "well I put it on first". Lol! :) We both packed our favorite Hurley shirts for the weekend, both got the same ice cream, drive 60 mph to get the best MPG, and found out we both appreciated waffles over pancakes. Hot sauce goes on about everything, and so does peanut butter! Just remember I introduced you to
Hammer Gel Peanut Butter :)
The Hammer Nutrition products I have been taking daily are Race Caps Supreme, Premium Insurance caps, and Clear Day. This time of year I get bad allergies in the morning, and sometimes when I sleep. Partly due to my immune system getting suppressed during long training rides, and the ability to recover each night. Clear Day has helped this, and also talking the supplements allowed my body to get the nutrients back immediately after my rides. This allowed for a full recovery each night. I felt like each day I was able to hold the same intensity as the day before. I am hoping that I will not get sick as easily also. Thanks to Hammer Nutrition for also providing each of my teammates with Hammer Gels, stickers, bottles, Fizz, and Heed! We are going to be well stocked for our feed zones at upcoming races also. I am loving being an Athlete for Hammer Nutrition this year!
Have any questions on Hammer Products? Just ask me. I am proud have been using their products for over 4 years now, and proud to be an Athlete for Hammer Nutrition in 2014. There is a 15% code on my blog.
Next up is Sea Otter Road Race and Circuit Race April 11-12.
